Spinward Fringe: Change Is Coming

There are a number of people wondering where yesterday's free Spinward Fringe short was. It's running late.

I won't give you excuses, that's not how I work. Instead I'll tell you why.

Yesterday I got a call from my lead Editor and she told me Spinward Fringe Fracture is the best book in the series.

It was staggering news.

It also validated a few decisions I've made about what I'm going to do with the Spinward Fringe universe. Sadly, that also meant I needed another day or two for preparations before I released anything. That's why the first free content for the Spinward Fringe universe is delayed.

There is a lot of exciting news coming up if you're a reader, and many changes for the better are being made.

Over the next two weeks I'll be addressing a lot of topics on this blog including:

A new approach to cover art.
Treating the books like cinematic features
Spinward Fringe: Strange Horizons & Close Encounters
The Spinward Fringe: Fracture release
The Spinward Fringe Trailer
What happened with the SyFy Channel "Your Next Space Opera Is Here" campaign.
And other topics that I'm not ready to list.

Tonight Spinward Fringe: Strange Horizons & Close Encounters launches and I'll explain exactly what that is.

Thank you for coming with me on this journey. Your support is the reason why this series has come this far and I'm proud to entertain you. Now it's time to take things to the next level.

RL

Spinward Fringe: Things are happening...

Spinward Fringe: Fracture is on its way to the editors and I'll soon hear back on the worthiness of the book.

I enjoyed writing the piece and I'm looking forward to working on the next one after any required polishing or massaging on Fracture is finished.

The first part of the Dark Arts series is finished, but that doesn't mean that Tuesday won't be free content day on this site for a while. There's a scene that didn't fit into Spinward Fringe Frontline or Fracture, and it involves a character that will eventually become closely involved with big picture events. I'll be making this scene available on www.spinwardfringe.com for free on Teusday, August 25.

There are two other Spinward Fringe segments planned for release after the first. To be honest, I don't have any other free releases planned after, that, but you never know.

As for Dark Arts, so far I've recieved a little positive feedback, sold three copies of the eBook and received a donation of $5.00. Thank you very much for your support on this very little known piece. At this point I'm starting to consider expanding the piece into a full length novel but there's very little chance of continued serialization unless support picks up. It was a fantastic experiment and I've learned a lot from the feedback and other results I've seen. It seems the readers have spoken, and though a few people were well entertained, you all seem to prefer science fiction.

I'm looking forward to releasing the Spinward Fringe free content and to the release of Spinward Fringe Fracture. I'll announce the release date of Fracture as soon as I can reliably establish one. I'm enjoying the Fringe these days, and more people are joining the crew every day.

It's a good time to be a Fringer...

RL

Spinward Fringe Arrives At Shortcovers!

Some time ago I received an Email from someone at Shortcovers in response to a blog post I made concluding that they weren't ready to do business with independents. I didn't state it that directly, but it was difficult to conclude anything else after reading my comment.
After speaking with someone on the telephone (he was actually one of the top enders), I started the process of listing my work with them.

Even though they don't have an automated eBook conversion system in place yet and things are still in the refinement stage behind the scenes, the people at that company made it work. That's what was impressive about this organization, there are people behind each step of the conversion, listing and posting process. Even though it's frantic over there, it's a new subsidiary of the Indigo / Chapters corporation, they're improving things.

As far as the readers are concerned, they're working with publishers to bring prices down and their site is pretty slick. I have their eBook reader on my iPod Touch and it's very easy to navigate.

They are the best Canadian eBook company around by far, and they're positioned to be one of the top in the world from what I've seen so far. They currently have apps for iPhone, iPod Touch, Google Android (TM), and Blackberry.

You can see my listings at Shortcovers here.

RL

If A Spinward Fringe Movie Were Made, Who Would You Cast?

That was one of the questions a reader included in an email yesterday while I was editing Spinward Fringe Frontline, and it occurred to me that I'd never actually answered it even though these books are really just films running in my brain before they're written down.

The answer will probably change in the future, since the Spinward Fringe series is always growing, shifting in style and complexity and talent is constantly being uncovered inside and outside of Hollywood.

So, I'll answer the question and more but quickly since I'm still editing Frontline. I'll also answer as though I have all the cash in the world and access to everyone I could ever want on the project.

If Spinward Fringe were to be comitted to film I'd want at least two 2 hour movies made to be followed up by a 3 hour third part.

The directors I'd choose include; Luc Besson (known for La Femme Nikita, The Professional and 5th Element), Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings and King Kong fame), or Martin Wood (known for Stargate Continuum, Sanctuary, Stargate Atlantis).

For the Soundtrack I'd hire Danny Elfman (Oingo Boingo, Batman, Nightbreed, Wanted), or Klaus Badelt (K-19: The Widowmaker, Pirates of the Caribbean). I'd love to see them work with Apocolyptica on a couple pieces for the film as well, and if you haven't seen the soundtrack I've built for Spinward Fringe Triton and Frontline you can check it out here: http://swinwardfringe.blogspot.com/2009/01/spinward-fringe-triton-and-frontline.html

On the production staff I'd love to see Joel Silver (known for the Matrix films, Veronica Mars and over 90 other films). He's known for dedicating himself to projects he believes in and supporting new ideas while maintaining a very shewd business sense. Any of the directors listed above would also make fantastic producers as they're good with production value and long time pros.

Who would I cast for the various parts? It's difficult to say because I've always pictured the core parts being played by actors who have had a lot of theater experience but not much exposure on television or film, so they'd be relative unknowns. As for the supporting cast (cameos and short term appearances), I'd love Wheeler to be played by Christian Slater, Ayan's mother to be played by Amanda Tapping (as long as she doesn't mind dying her hair red), and Lance Henrikson to play Doctor William Marcelles (check the end of the First Light Chronicles Starfree Port for that character if you don't remember). You get the gist though, talented, famous people playing the smaller roles so the main cast doesn't feel like they're playing beside cardboard cutouts or acting class newbies and the fans get a thrill at seeing staples of the industry popping in.

As for adaptation, I'd rather see it adapted closely. The early books are fairly short because they were written to provide an experience that was similar to watching a television show or film so a fairly direct adaptation would be possible. The later books; Triton and Frontline are more complex, so there might be a little more adaptation work there, but not much. Oh, and I'll be getting back to the cleaner, faster style of writing that I started the Spinward Fringe series with (in Resurrection and Awakening), after Frontline is out. Writing an incredibly fast paced 400 page book has been more exhausting and time consuming than I thought, but it's been worth it!

Anyway, that's my quick and dirty pie in the sky wish list for the first three Spinward Fringe films. Considering how little control an author gets when an adaptation takes place I don't think it'll ever happen IF the series gets optioned, and I actually hope it does some day.

Thanks for the question Arthur. I'm sorry I won't cast Jake or Ayan, that's just not gonna happen until the film is made!

RL

Just because I won't cast the main characters doesn't mean you can't! Who do you think should play your favourite character(s)?

Spinward Fringe: Over 1400 Books Sold

Pictured Above: Ayan, by Marc Froment

I know, in the publishing world selling fourteen hundred books doesn't count for much at all, but as an independent author with no advertising budget it's a real big milestone. Here's the interesting part; over twelve hundred of those books were sold on MobiPocket. I owe a lot to that site. They didn't give me preferential treatment, I didn't get onto their front page unless I was out selling other books honestly, and they didn't give me a banner or other special real estate on their pages unless one of my books earned its way there.

Mobipocket did, however, give me the opportunity to post my work on their site. Then some of my fans (as few as they were back then), posted reviews and thanks to that some of the science fiction fans on MobiPocket noticed my work. From there things started to grow, and since August the First Light Chronicles Omnibus has held the number one spot in the Science Fiction section. For that I only have the readers to thank, and boy am I thankful! Only one book has sold through Amazon.com, but I'm hoping that will pick up in time.

It's important to mention people who go the extra mile before I go on; the donators, of which there have been three very minor ones and one very major. These people's donations go towards computer repair, sending promotional copies of books out to reviewers (SomaCow being a great example), and this month's donation will be going to next month's groceries.

I also have to thank the few fans I have the pleasure of seeing aboard. What do I consider a fan? Well, that's simple. A fan is someone who posts a review on Amazon.com, Mobipocket.com or on their blog with a link leading back to my site. I also consider people who donate (even a little), and people who take the time to send in an email with their opinion on something in the books. Geoff, J and Ross of SomaCow are fans (especially considering the great efforts they put in to pull more aboard!), Dee is a fan, Neil is a fan (Dee and Neil's reviews can be seen on the First Light Chronicles listing on MobiPocket along with a few others) and anyone whose bought the First Light Chronicles and all the Spinward Fringe books are fans. Also, anyone who tells someone else they're a fan is a fan. It's not a very exclusive club, and membership is as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be and I am truly greatful to each and every one of you for buying the books, enjoying yourselves, supporting me and spreading the word!

For anyone who is curious, 194 people have purchased all the science fiction books released in 2008. That's the First Light Chronicles Series (either seperately or in the Omnibus), and the Spinward Fringe Series. Looking at that number, even though it's small by modern publishing standards, reminds me daily of how many people who have followed me and my characters through this turmultuous journey thus far. I have very good news for all of you: This is where it gets interesting. Just look at the next book; Spinward Fringe Frontline.

Spinward Fringe Frontline is taking a long time to write and I can tell you why. There is room for the characters to develop, villains finally tell a major part of the story and the plot moves with the overwhelming violence and speed of an avalanche. Until now I've kept a few notes on the technology and characters, but with the increase of scope and activity in this book it's been nessisary to begin work on an actual encyclopedia (currently named OMGENCYCLOPEDIA), just to keep track of the developments in this book and how they're attached to previous work. My goal is to provide a new example of what a true, complete Space Opera is in one book. Thank God I thrive on ambition. So far I'm very happy with how this book is turning out and I can't wait to see it finished even though I still have a lot of work to do yet.

A word about Spinward Fringe Triton: A week after the book was released the emails started coming in about this book. Fully a quarter of the people who purchased this volume sent emails in, and none of them had a single negative thing to say. That book brought many people to tears, got them funny looks on the tube as they laughed aloud, and left them feeling as though there was great promise for more at the end. To be honest, that's exactly the kind of journey I had while writing it, so I couldn't have been happier at its reception. On the other hand, I believe that every book has to equal or surpass the last, so I when I think of Triton I immediately think of the challenge I face in Spinward Fringe Frontline and how well I'll have to develop that book for it to be a worthy volume.

Moving on...

As if you couldn't already tell, my Muse is my only mistress. Writing is what I love to do above all else, and even though 1400 books sold over a five month period barely provides a living, I'll take living on the absolute minimum and being able to write full time over working a job I hate and having more money than one person generally needs. At one time I got a hell of a rush from playing drums in front of hundreds (thousands once), of people but these days I feel really high when I know I've had an emotional affect on someone. I wouldn't trade this for anything, and you people make it possible. If you keep spreading the word there's no telling what could happen.

Now, back to work on Spinward Fringe Frontline.

RL

Feel free to leave a comment here about the portrait of Ayan above, I'm sure Marcus would love the feedback. Just don't mention the hair colour...

Books by Randolph Lalonde: Now Available On Amazon.com

Finally, instead of going through other companies to get my books available internationally through Amazon I'm using their services from beginning to end. The results are amazing. I have proofs of all the science fiction books I've published (The First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe books), and every single one of them is perfect.

The proofs arrived a week early and the listings on Amazon.com are up. My storefront is linked just to the right of this post. I'm honestly happy with the way they're treating me from one end to the other and glad I went through the trouble of re-designing the covers and interiors. The prices are also quite reasonable considering the high quality of the books.

The only drawback is that the books are only available on Amazon.com, not Amazon.ca or Amazon.co.uk so there's no super saver shipping available for anyone outside of the US. The shipping fees for anyone outside of the United States are pretty reasonable though, much better than Lulu.com or any of the other companies I've investigated.

Before I run off and resume work on Spinward Fringe Frontline, I'd like to take a moment to reassure the people who read my work as Ebooks. Unlike big publishers, I will NOT wait until the printed version of my books are on the market before releasing the Ebook versions. I'll gladly release any work I publish as an Ebook first. There's just no point in delaying a release, especially if I know people are anxious to get their hands on what I'm doing.

Thank you again for your support, without you I wouldn't be doing this. Now go spread the word to all those non-Ebook lookers that Amazon can send them a copy of an old fashioned, glossy covered, weighty book if they like. I know I'm glad I have hard copies now, they look pretty good on my shelf and are doomed to be dog-eared soon.

RL

Spinward Fringe Triton and Frontline: The Soundtrack

It's no mystery that I write to music. What a lot of people don't know is that I tend to assign characters and certain scenes (or chapters), themes. The music provides a touch stone for me to go back to, an easier way to get in the mood to write for a certain character or in a certain imaginary environment.

As of yet there haven't been any (serious) offers to put Spinward Fringe on the telly or silver screen, but if they ever did I'd hope that they'd take a look at this list of songs that I've attached to characters and scenes. I thought you'd enjoy a musical tour of these two books. While vastly different, I'm fiercely proud of both of them, especially Frontline right now since it's turning out so well.

Below is a list of the tunes and a very brief description of where they fit (roughly). Since I'm avoiding spoilers here some of the descriptions are pretty vague and they're in no particular order. Enjoy!

Pandemonium - Apocalyptica: Opening Theme
Ion - Apocalyptica: Triton Space Combat
Burn - Apocalyptica: Gunfight on the ship!
Toreador II - Apocalyptica: Starfighter combat sequence
Stroke - Apocalyptica: Jake's in trouble! (Again)
Faraway - Apocalyptica: Ayan and Jonas' theme
Whistling in the Dark - Triton Epilogue
Seven Lives - Enigma: Hyperspace trouble!
Fata Morgana - Enigma: The ship gets ready / training.
The Alchemist - Enigma: The ship gets ready / training.
Darkest Before Dawn - Enigma: Decisions are made / Captain's Office.
Goodbye Milky Way - Enigma: Funeral / Bound for the nebula.
Following the Sun - Enigma: Agameg Price adds to the Big Surprise.
Damascus - Conjure One: Planet Pandem
Center of the Sun - Conjure One: Peering into Eternity (Chapter name)
Premonition - Conjuer One: The wreckage of war (Chapter name)
Redemption - Conjure One: A trip planetside.
The Messenger - The Tea Party: Lead singer of Stonemark strums an acoustic in the park.
Stargazer, Requiem, Paint it Black - The Tea Party: Stonemark's on stage set.
Welcome to the Machine - Queensryche (cover): The View From The Top to Lucius Agrippa Wheeler (Chapter names)
Hang 'em High - My Chemical Romance: Oz picks a gunfight!
Venom - My Chemical Romance: Frost runs for his life!
1st Person - Stone Sour: Ship combat (Frontline).
Rough Boy - ZZ Top: The Night Watch (Chapter) and Samson Crew love song.
La Grange - ZZ Top: Frost's drunk (again).
Spring III - Vivaldi: Ayan's sleeping.
Nightbreed Title Tracks - Danny Elfman for the Clive Barker Film: Nightbreed: Meunez meets Collins and all chapters focusing on those characters from that point on.
So Ha - Splashdown: Stephanie can't stop laughing.
Sugar High - Splashdown: Ashley's Theme
Halfworld - Splashdown: Alice and the Clever Dream
Lighthouse - Hope: A new life aboard.
Faraway (Radio Edit) - Apocalyptica: Spinward Fringe Triton End Credits
Following the Sun - Enigma: Spinward Fringe Frontline End Credits.

A special thanks to Elizabeth Mock who pointed out the site that made the playlist at the top of this post possible. I'd also like to thank all the musicians who wrote and performed this music, please don't sue me!

Oh, and work on Spinward Fringe Frontline is going magnificently well. You'll see more news from me on that and other developments very soon!

RL

Spinward Fringe: There Will Be No Omnibus

The Spinward Fringe series is just that, a series of novels and novellas. Just as the title says, I won't be collecting two or more parts in one edition for eBooks. There are a number of reasons why, the first of which is that the novellas are already continually on sale for a reduced price. Another point on this is that the Spinward Fringe series contains novellas and novels.

There are other creative reasons, like Triton being such a stand apart novel in quality and story content. That opinion comes from my Editor and Proof readers, who nearly slapped me when I told them I was still considering including Triton in an omnibus. After some consideration I have to admit they're right. There are other factors that influence me and benefit my readers, like being driven to make each book as good as it can be because I know that at any point in time a reader can just stop buying the books if they feel it's not worth it. A publisher would shudder at this thought, but as an independent, all I have is my readers, and if you're unhappy I haven't done my job, I haven't adequately entertained. If this direct accountability weren't enough, leaving each book to stand on its own inspires me to make each volume longer with story lines that run their course under one title as well as plots that run through several parts of the series.

There's an exception to this "no omnibus" rule, and and that is the print editions. Since Spinward Fringe Resurrection and Awakening (Broadcasts 1 and 2), were novella size I'm combining the two of them in one printed volume. This cuts down on the expense for me and my readers and it'll make the books available on Amazon.com sooner, maybe even in time for Christmas but don't hold your breath, Amazon's subsidiary that handles print self publishing accounts is prohibitively expensive and atrociously slow for Canadian customers. Until that mini collected volume is on Amazon, Lulu.com will be carrying it soon and they ship for reasonable rates in the US. Again, the only reason why I'm putting Resurrection and Awakening together in print is because they're small and I want to save my customers shipping charges.

I'd like to thank everyone whose been reading and talking about the series, without you I wouldn't have an audience! If you think this decision is wrong, feel free to EMail me about it. If there's enough of a response I may put a collected edition together for Mobipocket in the very distant future.

RL

P.S.
There will be no changes to the First Light Chronicles Omnibus other than the addition of the Afterword, which is being edited right now and will be added some time next week.

Spinward Fringe Triton: Now Available On Mobipocket.com

I'm proud to announce that the Spinward Fringe Novel (that's right, this one's larger and more well written than those preceding it, moving it up from novella status to novel), is now available. You can download your copy of Spinward Fringe Triton right here.

This book also includes a scene from the book following right after it in the series, we'll call it Broadcast 4 for the time being, since its official title has not yet been announced.

A little more about Spinward Fringe Triton. I started this book with the intention of getting further into the personal details of several characters, expanding the view of the universe and furthering more than one plotline. After my proof reader and editor have both gone through it and given me more praise than I deserve, I believe that I've accomplished that, and more importantly, I've managed to put down a really entertaining piece of fiction. In this book I've taken more risks with the plot, gambles with the characters and even managed to answer questions and wrap up plot lines that have been open for a very long time (one of which started in the prologue of the First Light Chronicles book; Limbo).

I stand behind this book, if a publisher came along and said; "give me your best" this is what I would put in their hands. It's true, you need to read the First Light Chronicles Omnibus and the other Spinward Fringe books, but since this series is written much like I would a television show, I have no regret making that recommendation.

I proudly present you with this experience and hope you enjoy it then talk about it, type about it and maybe even share it if you can.

RL

P.S.
There is SO much more news to come about the next Spinward Fringe Broadcast, the First Light Chronicles Omnibus Afterword, and other things I simply can't reveal just yet. Stay tuned.

Spinward Fringe Triton: Release Date Pushed to the 7th Of November

This wasn't a decision we made lightly, but sadly the release of the third book in the Spinward Fringe series, Triton, will be delayed until Friday, November 7, 2008. It's not that there are problems with the work, it's simply that there's more of it and there are family matters that are a higher priority at the moment.

Sadly, this is the kind of thing that happens when you release a book every 4-6 weeks on average. When things get complicated at home with people who are essential to the work (myself and my editor in this case), things get slowed down. I do apologize, if there was something I could do to speed things up without making sacrifices I couldn't live with, I would.

On the brighter side, the afterword for the First Light Chronicles Omnibus will be coming out with Triton, and there will also be a preview chapter for the book following immediately after at the end of Spinward Fringe Triton for Mobipocket customers.

The final announcement on the title of the fourth book in the Spinward Fringe series will follow soon after the release of Triton, and I'm continuing my work on that book so I don't fall behind. I'm also enjoying the work immensely and believe that the fourth Spinward Fringe book (and my seventh science fiction title this year), is the best yet. Again I'm writing in territory that's new to the series, putting my characters in difficult situations and revealing great big chunks of the various plotlines. This book is fun, interesting, and I think it will be the perfect follow up to Triton.

Again, I'm sorry for the delay, but as a friend of mine reminded me not long ago, normally publishers take between six months to two years to put out a book, so I'm hoping that after eight or more weeks of waiting everyone will still be there, happily digging into Triton when it comes out.

RL

Triton Cometh: The Release Date Has Been Set!

On November 3, 2008, Spinward Fringe Triton will be released on Mobipocket.com. No other site has provided a better home from these books, so it's only fitting that the most anticipated book in the series is available there first. I also like the fact that hundreds of people are reading these books on their own versions of Command and Control units; their cell phones, PDA's and eBook readers. Now if only someone would build one with a holoprojector...

I believe Triton has the depth of a novel and the scope of a space opera film. Now that a very well respected proof reader has had time to go through it and give me the thumbs up, I feel comfortable releasing it as everyone recovers from their October 31 sweet tooth fulfillment hangovers. This is the most serious book in the series, it answers some questions head on and brings some plotlines to a conclusive end. As those plotlines close out others strengthen, deepen and the epic plans I had for this series finally start coming together.

The little universe I created for this series grows and starts to shake in the most abrupt and violent ways in this book. Just what the story needed.

Thank you to everyone who has read the series thus far, I wish I could tell you more about the story in Trition, but I honestly can't because of all the new readers who have been hopping on board. I'd hate to give anything away.

RL

Thank you for following me on this journey thus far, you won't be disappointed.

Mobipocket's Site Is Down! Day 2

First two of my books disappear from the top 400 only to reappear as one of their customer service reps simply say; "Look, there they are, you must have been viewing our site in the wrong language or something," the next morning. (Trust me, I would have noticed), and now their eBook servers, back end and retail sites are all down.

This happened before in 2007 according to many well known eBook forums and news sites, and I hope it's just a hiccup that will be corrected by the end of the weekend.

I'm surprised though, Mobipocket has been a fantastic partner for months now, this last week just seems like one issue after another, at one time I thought that was unusual for a site owned by Amazon.com. Sadly, I've had serious issues with another subsidiary of Amazon.com over the last few weeks, so I'm starting to get the impression that when Amazon buys another company that entity's quality of service takes a dive.

Suppositions aside, I apologize to any of my readers who find themselves inconvenienced by this down time. If you're in the middle of the Spinward Fringe series or were looking for something else to read, be aware that I offer all my books through Lulu.com as well (check the links to the right), DRM free and in eBook or print format. The shipping is actually quite reasonable if you live in the US.

Here's hoping that Amazon and Mobipocket get their act together and we're back to normal by the end of the weekend. I have a book realease coming up and a few hundred people who have been waiting for it...

RL

Sweeping Improvements to All Books

After receiving a great deal of advice from many of my eBook readers, I've made a number of changes to all the eBooks offered on Mobipocket. Here's a list of the changes.

The First Light Chronicles Freeground eNovella is once again free through Lulu.com. Mobipocket administration has informed me that they don't allow free eBooks to be added to their Freebooks program any longer, so I've reduced the cost of Freeground to $0.10 there.

All of the First Light Chronicles books (including the Omnibus), and the Spinward Fringe books now include links by chapter so Mobipocket readers can easily navigate through them. This is something that wasn't in place before because I honestly didn't expect to do so well in the eBook market. Now that so many of you have proven me wrong (thank you!), the table of contents are in place.
When the Spinward Fringe Triton novel is released there will be a new Afterword added to the First Light Chronicles Omnibus. In the afterword I discuss how the books came about, some of the more drastic twists in the novels and some of the surprises that crept up on me while I wrote them.

In the book Spinward Fringe Triton there's a preview of the following novel, the fourth book in that series. (eBook version only, sorry. I just have to save paper).

I'm also working on getting the First Light Chronicles Omnibus listed on Amazon.com. I'm hoping to make the printed copies available through their site (supersaver shipping, yay!), by Christmas. Other than that I'm looking for popular places to review my work, so word can spread beyond Mobipocket, SomaCow and this site. I love you guys, but for me to make a career out of this I need a few thousand more readers.

These changes and improvements have all come about thanks to you, dear readers, and I'm happy to make them. I've had a fantastic time writing these books and meeting people who are interested in the world I'm creating and expanding. I truly hope it never ends.

RL

Spinward Fringe Triton: Update

Triton is twice the size of Spinward Fringe Resurrection, it's also a very different kind of story. It took a while to write, I'll admit. After that it took a little while to edit, and I'm afraid that due to a family emergency things have been set back a bit.

I don't know exactly how long this will last, but even though things have slowed down on the finalizing of this book, it's still coming.

Since this family matter is going on I'm writing the book following Trition, so once the air clears things should be right back on track.

The popularity of this series continues to rise, and thankfully I had plenty of ideas stored up long before I started writing it in January of this year, so there's more to come. I thank everyone whose supported me, enjoyed reading and donated to the cause or purchased my work. I can't say how much I appreciate your patience, it'll be worth the wait.

RL

Spinward Fringe Triton: Now We Wait

What's with the title you ask? Well, I've finished my editorial pass on the newest book and all of you get to wait on my Editors final word.

Anyone who has read the First Light Chronicles and Spinward Fringe thus far know that I'm the master of answering a (plot) question with another question. That's how I do things in general, give you just enough to feel informed while you follow the characters along on a journey that could take you anywhere. In the end there's always a payoff, however.

Triton is different. The location is different, the story is vastly different, even the main characters we follow around are dealing with things that they've never faced before. I've taken great risks in the telling. The major risks involve answers that don't pose questions. Many of the answers to long running plot lines (even going as far back as the First Light Chronicles), are final and satisfying, or at least that's my intention. My Editor will tell me whether I've accomplished my goals and told a good story.

Triton ties up a number of important plot lines because it's time to move on to the bigger story that's been developing in the background ever since the first page of Starfree Port. In Spinward Fringe Broadcast 4 (I can't tell you it's proper name until my Editor has signed off on Triton), the big picture story comes into play and I can't wait to tell it.

Triton is a much more serious book than anything that's come before, and now that I look back on the story I've told I can honestly say I'm proud of the work.

So, like I said before, we get to wait a few days while my Editor makes her educated, well read assessment of the book. Here's hoping I've done my job exceptionally well.

RL

[While you're waiting you could always check out Fate Cycle Dead of Winter or Fate Cycle Sins of the Past if you're looking for a more epic style of fantasy. They're both available at a reduced price on Mobipocket.com]

Spinward Fringe Triton: Now Editing!

This is the largest Spinward Fringe book in the series so far. It goes into more detail with a few of the characters and takes you much further into the developing plot.

At the same time this answers a lot of questions people have been asking themselves about the First Light Chronicles and the Spinward Fringe series.

Editing isn't normally fun. It's not my favorite thing to do, I'll be honest. The good news is that I'm actually enjoying the job this time. Triton is an enjoyable read to me, I'm happy with what I've done with the characters, the chances I've taken and I hope everyone hooked into this story likes what's between the covers as well.

We're still a week or two away from E-Releasing this puppy though. Like I said, I'm still editing and my Editor, who is eager to dig in, still has to do her pass. Then there's another, hopefully final edit if I've done my job well. If I haven't done my job well there will be another partial or full draft. Let's not think negatively though. I think my Editor will give me the thumbs up on this one.

So hang tight, do the survey, make a comment, and you'll see this on your shelf, pda, PC, palm, cell phone or Control and Command Unit before you know it.

RL

Brown liquid anyone?

Permanent Price Drop On eBooks With Lulu.com

People like DRM Free content. If you don't know what that means, I'll tell you. That means that after you download your .pdf eBook you can transfer the file between different computers, devices and whatever else you want to stick your file into, even a printer.

So, by using the store links to the right, you not only save $2.00 or more per eBook, but you can transfer the file to whatever you're reading it on or print it out for yourself.

What's prompted the price drop you ask? More people are buying the books! People are reading my work on their laptops, cellular phones, pda's and in print.

I thank you, if things keep picking up I'll be able to do this full time indefinitely. That's my dream, not to be rich, not to be famous, and certainly not to be massively published by some TOR or Bantam or ACE or whatever. I dream of making enough money to write full time, take care of myself and my family and maintain control of my work so no one can stop me from penning the stories I want to tell. I love entertaining you, but I want to do it my way.

So again; I thank you.

RL

Spinward Fringe Awakening: Released!

That's right, the second book in the Spinward Fringe series is now available through a few eBook retailers (Mobipocket and Amazon Kindle shortly thereafter), and Lulu.com in print as well as in non-DRM PDF.
Here's the synopsis:

The crew of the Samson are caught up in the problems of their Captain as his past starts to catch up with him. Just as new allies start to fall in line old enemies come creeping out of the shadows, putting everyone at risk.

While the crew struggles to deal with their own problems, Regent Galactic begins putting a plan in motion that could bring about the fourth fall of man and position their Corporation as the sole savior of the civilized outer fringe of space. Their ambition and greed spell disaster for the bulk of mankind.

The threads of Jake Valance's past start to come together in this, the second part of the Spinward Fringe series. He's at the same time to be the benefactor and victim of a personal history he knows nothing about.
---

I try my damndest to top myself with every novel and novella. I believe that if my latest isn't better than the one before it it's either not finished or not worth releasing to the public. I'm fiercely proud of how Spinward Fringe is coming together and of this book in particular. I think the characters really start speaking, you start learning where some of them come from and the plot gets bigger. The momentum will carry you right to the end, and I promise you won't be disappointed when you get there.

I'm working on the next book in this series right now, but I'm so happy to tell you that Awakening takes you somewhere. It's somewhere (plot wise), that I don't think anyone's ever taken you before on television, in movies, or in a book. Enjoy this, I know I did.

RL

Spinward Fringe: Awakening

Spinward Fringe Awakening is the second book in the unlimited science fiction series I'm writing. It continues where Resurrection left off and I have to say I've never written anything more fast paced, fun or challenging in my life.

I worked it like it was three hundred pages only the ideas, scenes and dialog fit in about two hundred. Reduced down to a smaller font size to save paper, it comes out to about one hundred forty pages, and after doing my last editorial sweep on it I have to say even I had a lot of fun reading it.

Now it's with my Editor, whose critical eye and a nose that can smell bad cheese like a fart in a car will not spare me if anything is out of line or a little hokey. It's this kind of safety net that most authors can't live without, and I'm greatful. I honestly don't think she'll find any problems with this book, however, and after the final edit, it looks like this book will be out before September seventh.

Talk about a quick roll out. I started the first science fiction novel, Freeground, on January 1, 2008, and here we are almost nine months later with four novels ready to read and a fifth due out in just another couple of weeks. I have to say I'm pleased with the stories I'm telling, with the reception I'm getting and with the tales that have not yet been told.

Thanks to everyone for their support, there's so much more to come.

RL

Spinward Fringe Resurrection: Selling in Europe!

On August 1, 2008, I launched all the EBooks currently available with over 30 different electronic retailers, so people all across the globe could purchase the First Light Chronicles and Fate Cycle: Dead of Winter.

That didn't really result in much, which is fine, since I didn't expect an immediate reaction. Some of these retailers take a little while to list the books and it takes some time for people to realize they're there.

Then I launched Spinward Fringe with the same retailers (commonly called Etailers in some circles). It's been less than a week and I'm proud to announce that it's selling. Not "I was just on Oprah's book club" selling, but copies are being read, a solid number of copies.

I just got an email from a reader in Budapest saying; "...started reading and did not put it down until I was finished. Am bying all other books on ur list."

Broken english aside, I see this as a massively good review. If the momentum continues to build I might actually be able to make a lving at this before 2010. Here's hoping. If that were to happen all my readers (and they are starting to increase in number), would have more literature to look forward to on a regular basis.

Thank you to everyone who has been watching, reading, and investing in my success. I really do appreciate your time and money.

I aim to entertain.

RL

The next book: Spinward Fringe Awakening, is well on it's way and I'm immensely pleased with how it's turning out so far.